Glenn said it just doesn’t make sense to close down the restaurant – especially since it’s a money-maker.

“I’m making money for the government,” he said. “I send them a check every month.”

But he also pointed out that even though the building is technically closed – he’s still required to maintain insurance, utilities and rent. He also has to pay for the building’s security system – even though the NPS kicked them out.

“I don’t wish to take a stand against my government,” he said. “I’ve always been very proud of my country. [But] I don’t agree with what’s happening. I can no longer abide by what’s happening.”

And Glenn has a message for our lawmakers.

“They talk about this [shutdown] having a minimal impact on the economy,” he said. “They need to come down to my level and look at my people and say, ‘We’re going to shut you down. You cannot make any money because we can’t administrate.’”

He said Congress is putting politics ahead of people.

“Let them come and lay my people off,” he said. “Let them come and tell my staff they are out of work.”

Glenn decided to make his stand against the government when he bumped into some of his regular customers over the weekend.

One of his favorite customers is Mama – and she turned 100 years old Tuesday.

“I told them to bring her to my restaurant,” he said. “She’s 100-years-old. She wants to eat Brunswick stew, ham biscuits and carrot cake.”

And so today at 11 a.m. Mama was seated in the dining room of the Carrot Tree Kitchens Restaurant where she was served a bowl of Brunswick stew, a ham biscuit and a slice of birthday carrot cake.

“Let the pomposities in Washington tell her ‘no,’” Glenn said.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Where liberty is, there is my country.”

And in the case of Patriot Glenn Helseth, where liberty is, there is my carrot cake.